LA Lakers and Boston Celtics to contend the NBA Finals
Wins over the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic respectively mean that two great rivals will meet in the NBA's Championship game.
Thursday 3 June, 2010 will see players of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics take to the court to contest the NBA Championship after an eight month season.
The two rivals, and the most decorated teams in NBA history will face off once again in a repeat of the 2008 Finals which Boston won 4-2 to claim a 17th Championship.
Western Conference Dominance
The Lakers finished off their series with the Suns on Saturday 29 May, 2010 and will head back to the NBA Finals for a third season in succession.
Finishing second best in the league and first in the west, LA's place in the season showpiece was rarely in doubt throughout the playoffs and they will now look to become the first team to retain the Championship since their back-to-back-to-back campaigns of 2000-2002.
Underdogs Through in the East
Boston took the difficult path back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years and as the number four seed in the east were required to take on the league's number one team, Cleveland, in the semi-finals, followed by last seasons losing finalists, the Orlando Magic, in the conference finals.
To the surprise of many people the Celtic came through the tough challenges and grounded the hopes of Lebron James and Cleveland with a superb defensive display which rendered him essentially powerless. They also stormed to the 3-0 lead, winning two games in Orlando's Amway Arena and despite letting one of their two home games slip, the return to Boston on Friday 28 May, 2010 to wrap up the series and book a date with the reigning champions.
With Boston two Championships ahead of LA Lakers in all-time list they will be hoping that they can win the battle of the two previous title winners.
Reasons The Championship Will Stay in LA
Kobe Bryant is once again showing why he is an all-round competitor and one of the most complete players in the history of the game. Lebron James is constantly mentioned alongside Michael Jordan in terms of 'greatness' but the LA guard is arguably already at the same level as Jordan. His 37-point game six ended the Suns hopes of making the finals and he is likely hoping to add another ring to his collection.
The Lakers are a better team than the one which waltzed their way to the 2009 NBA Championship and in the past two seasons no single team has proved they have the edge over the Lakers in any department. The addition of Ron Artest and the return from injury of Andrew Bynam means that LA has another scoring option as Artest demonstrated in game 5, and has an increased inside presence in the centre.
LA will feel that they owe Boston one after being defeated in the 2008 Finals 4-2, and whilst revenge won't be on Phil Jackson and his team's mind, they will be hoping to add another chapter in their storied legacy with the Celtics. As coach of the Bulls and the Lakers, Jackson has proved that he is amongst the greatest of all time and he will known the strengths and weakness of the Celtics inside out.
After their rather nervy series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers will be ensuring that they don't again under-estimate their opponents. Durrant's OKC team threatened to cause the biggest upset of all time in their round one dual with the Lakers and since then they have polished off both the Suns and the Jazz without really being tested to the limit.
Reasons the Championship Will Go to Boston
After beating D-Wade in round one, 'The King' in round two and 'Superman' in round three, the Boston Celtics will certainly not be intimidated by the abilities of the Lakers. Against Miami they showed they could deal with Miami's quickness, against the Cavelliers they demonstrated their suffocating defense against one of the best players in the league and against Orlando they handled the inside power of Dwight Howard in five out of the six games.
Despite their own self-confidence in a return to the NBA Finals, few could have predicted the resurgence in Boston's fortunes after a mid-season blip almost derailed their season completely. Their 27-2 start was matched by a poor run of games and saw them stumble into Allstar break needing to make a trade. Since the beginning of the playoffs, few have been as impressive as Boston and they will be full of confidence going into game one.
In their 2008 Championship season it was all about the 'Big Three', but this campaign Rondo has added himself to the mix to make it a 'Big Four'. As well as becoming the franchises assist leader in the course of the season, the playoffs have seen Rondo become un-defendable despite the likes of Wade and Lebron attempting to guard him.
Boston's determination to win a Championship was clear two seasons ago and whilst they were eliminated by Orlando in 2009 they seem hungry once more to bring home an 18th title in 22 attempts. The likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen realize there aren't too many more opportunities out there for them to get a ring, and to add to their legacy they will be hoping to 'Beat LA' and get their hands on the O'Brien Trophy.
The series begins on Thusday night with game one in LA's Staples Center.
Thursday 3 June, 2010 will see players of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics take to the court to contest the NBA Championship after an eight month season.
The two rivals, and the most decorated teams in NBA history will face off once again in a repeat of the 2008 Finals which Boston won 4-2 to claim a 17th Championship.
Western Conference Dominance
The Lakers finished off their series with the Suns on Saturday 29 May, 2010 and will head back to the NBA Finals for a third season in succession.
Finishing second best in the league and first in the west, LA's place in the season showpiece was rarely in doubt throughout the playoffs and they will now look to become the first team to retain the Championship since their back-to-back-to-back campaigns of 2000-2002.
Underdogs Through in the East
Boston took the difficult path back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years and as the number four seed in the east were required to take on the league's number one team, Cleveland, in the semi-finals, followed by last seasons losing finalists, the Orlando Magic, in the conference finals.
To the surprise of many people the Celtic came through the tough challenges and grounded the hopes of Lebron James and Cleveland with a superb defensive display which rendered him essentially powerless. They also stormed to the 3-0 lead, winning two games in Orlando's Amway Arena and despite letting one of their two home games slip, the return to Boston on Friday 28 May, 2010 to wrap up the series and book a date with the reigning champions.
With Boston two Championships ahead of LA Lakers in all-time list they will be hoping that they can win the battle of the two previous title winners.
Reasons The Championship Will Stay in LA
Kobe Bryant is once again showing why he is an all-round competitor and one of the most complete players in the history of the game. Lebron James is constantly mentioned alongside Michael Jordan in terms of 'greatness' but the LA guard is arguably already at the same level as Jordan. His 37-point game six ended the Suns hopes of making the finals and he is likely hoping to add another ring to his collection.
The Lakers are a better team than the one which waltzed their way to the 2009 NBA Championship and in the past two seasons no single team has proved they have the edge over the Lakers in any department. The addition of Ron Artest and the return from injury of Andrew Bynam means that LA has another scoring option as Artest demonstrated in game 5, and has an increased inside presence in the centre.
LA will feel that they owe Boston one after being defeated in the 2008 Finals 4-2, and whilst revenge won't be on Phil Jackson and his team's mind, they will be hoping to add another chapter in their storied legacy with the Celtics. As coach of the Bulls and the Lakers, Jackson has proved that he is amongst the greatest of all time and he will known the strengths and weakness of the Celtics inside out.
After their rather nervy series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers will be ensuring that they don't again under-estimate their opponents. Durrant's OKC team threatened to cause the biggest upset of all time in their round one dual with the Lakers and since then they have polished off both the Suns and the Jazz without really being tested to the limit.
Reasons the Championship Will Go to Boston
After beating D-Wade in round one, 'The King' in round two and 'Superman' in round three, the Boston Celtics will certainly not be intimidated by the abilities of the Lakers. Against Miami they showed they could deal with Miami's quickness, against the Cavelliers they demonstrated their suffocating defense against one of the best players in the league and against Orlando they handled the inside power of Dwight Howard in five out of the six games.
Despite their own self-confidence in a return to the NBA Finals, few could have predicted the resurgence in Boston's fortunes after a mid-season blip almost derailed their season completely. Their 27-2 start was matched by a poor run of games and saw them stumble into Allstar break needing to make a trade. Since the beginning of the playoffs, few have been as impressive as Boston and they will be full of confidence going into game one.
In their 2008 Championship season it was all about the 'Big Three', but this campaign Rondo has added himself to the mix to make it a 'Big Four'. As well as becoming the franchises assist leader in the course of the season, the playoffs have seen Rondo become un-defendable despite the likes of Wade and Lebron attempting to guard him.
Boston's determination to win a Championship was clear two seasons ago and whilst they were eliminated by Orlando in 2009 they seem hungry once more to bring home an 18th title in 22 attempts. The likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen realize there aren't too many more opportunities out there for them to get a ring, and to add to their legacy they will be hoping to 'Beat LA' and get their hands on the O'Brien Trophy.
The series begins on Thusday night with game one in LA's Staples Center.